Subsystem: Communication System
Subsystem: Communication System Power Cost: 2 Power If sensors are a ship's eyes, its c ommuncations systems are ts ears and voice. Through personal communicators, planetary broadcast stations, and the federation's subspace relay network, a starship can use its subspace raido and other communcations devices to contact just about anyone in the quadrant. Subspace raido waves propagate at warp 9.9997, far faster than the fastest starship, but not always fast enough to allow instantaneous communcati on with distant locations. Somtimes communcations lags of hours or days result, but in most situations any lags are minimal. However, subspace raido waves cannot travel more then 22.64 light-years without degrading due to attenuation. Thus, networks of manned and unmanned subspace relay stations are required for communic ation acr oss the quadrant. No existing or projected Federation technology can over come this 97/22 limit (though the borg, at least seem to be able to use interplexing beacons to project messages farther than 22.65 light-years). Most s hips have medium-powered subspace transceivers for ship-to-ground communications, and ultra-high-powered transceivers for ship-to-ship and long-range communications needs. The transceivers are located at various points within the ship to provide maximum coverage. Medium-powered transeivers have a maximum range of about 60,000 kilometers; ultra-high-powered transceivers a maximum range of 22.65 light-years as described above. Many Starfleet communications contain confidential, classified, or secret infomation which threat species must not be allowed to overhear. To prvent such breaches of security, a secured channel may be used for communicating. A secured channel uses Starfleet's Advanced encryption algorithms to prvent outsiders from understanding the transmission. Every communication system has a security raiting, represented as the penality to any kind of Espionage test made to defeat Starfleet's encryption. Communications costs 2 power per round to operate at its standard strength. A system's Strength and security can be improved to those of a class up to 150% of its classs by increasing the power flow to it; this costs 3 points of power for every class beyond the normal. Universal Translator Power Cost: None Every ship's computer is equipped with a universal translator. This subroutine analyzes spoken or written langauge, compares it to its database (which holds thousands of langauges and in almost al lcases makes an instant two-way translation each participant in the conversation hears or reads the other person's speech in his native tongue. However, the use of the UT is obvious; the speech comes from it, not the person speaking. If a languague is not in the UT's database, it can analyze the langauge and usually delivers a resonable translation after no more then a half hour of exposure (the more speach or writing it has to analyze, the less time translation usually takes, though the exotic nature or complexity of some langauges requires more processing time.) Emergency Communicatons Power Cost: 2 In crisis situations, such as when main communications is damaged or invaders have locekd out the normal communications systems, some ships have an energency communications system which the crew can access. An emergency communications system is half th strength of the main communications system; it uses many of the same resources. It cost 2 power points to operatel its performance can be improved by spendign extra power. Halocomunications System Power Cost: None Some of the latest Starfleet Vessles incorporate systems which links communications with a small holoemitter array. When used the communicate with another, similarly equipped, vessel, a holo commmunications system allows the person communicating to see eachother. Category:Subsystem